It's not often that a sports story brings tears to my eyes, but yesterday's news report from the Kentucky Derby did just that. Big Brown was the winner; Eight Belles, the only filly in the race, crossed the finish line in second place, and then collapsed. She had broken both forelegs and had to be euthanized on the track. A sad, sad end to a beautiful horse. Her jockey reported that she began 'to gallop funny' before she went down, leading him to speculate that she had already sustained the fractures sometime during the race.
What makes this story even sadder? Reports that acknowledge the fraility of thoroughbreds due to interbreeding within the few highly successful bloodlines. And also reports that running on traditional dirt tracks like the one at Churchill Downs is very hard on young horses. So hard, in fact, that the state of California has outlawed them. Tracks there must have artificial surfaces.
Perhaps Barbaro's injury two years ago wasn't such an anomaly after all?
1 comment:
So sad ... it put such a damper on the race. The poor horse.
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